The Big 60
by A Karswyll
Summary: Jack O'Neill has reached the big six-oh and his family gathers together to celebrate and mark his birthday in D.C. with a party. (Celebrating Jack's Birthday on 20 October.)


**Title**: The Big 60  
**Author**: A. Karswyll  
**Rated**: M (FFnet), MA (elsewhere)  
**Words**: 6,233  
**Summary**: Jack O'Neill has reached the big six-oh and his family gathers together to celebrate and mark his birthday in D.C. with a party. [Celebrating Jack's Birthday on 20 October.]  
**AN**: Written of course for Jack O'Neill's birthday so—Happy Birthday Jack!  
The second scene of this short story has been edited to comply with FFnet's rules and guidelines and the full scene is available to read on my samandjack. net and archiveofourown. org accounts.  
Fabulous fems was not able to beta this entirely before its posting so please inform me of all the stupid errors that I made and missed.

* * *

**Season 16  
20 October 2012 **

Energized from her morning run, Sam took the front steps to their Virginian townhouse two at a time. Letting herself through the door she'd locked on her way out this morning she tossed the house keys into the dish on the small side table in the entrance way and toed off her shoes. She blew out a breath, compared to the brisk fall air outside that she'd been running in, the house was toasty warm.

The house was also quiet this Saturday morning, no sound of the classical radio station that her husband liked to listen to and no sounds of Jack himself. It seemed he'd rolled over and gone back to sleep after she'd kissed him and left this morning.

Sam grinned to herself as she padded in sock feet over the hardwood floor of the living room to the kitchen. That was just fine with her. It gave her time to herself to get some things ready for his birthday party this afternoon.

She was determined this year that she would bake him a cake and not buy one from the nearest bakery. This cake would be all about Jack, and though it had taken diligent searching and conferring with Cassie, she had found a recipe that fit him perfectly. It was cake and included his 'refreshing' substitute for food—how could that _not_ fit him?

Her cell phone went onto the dining table and she picked up the tablet she'd left on said table last night and powering up the device, pulled the recipe up. After reading it over she propped the tablet up on the kitchen counter and pulled up her musical playlist. Jack's radio station was a favourite of hers to listen to too, but she was in the mood for just cello concertos.

The first note of Vivaldi's cello concerto in G minor began and she turned on the oven to heat. Happily listening to the music she assembled her baking utensils, and opened up the fridge for the first of the ingredients.

Now, there should be at least one bottle left of the six-pack if he hadn't...

Ah, there it was.

Right behind the bag of hemp hearts at the back of the fridge where she'd stashed it.

Pulling out the bottle of beer, she got the butter, eggs, and three kinds of cream as well: cream cheese, sour cream, and whipping cream that was needed. Setting them down on the counter she opened an overhead cupboard door and fetched the vanilla extract, baking soda, and cocoa.

Pantry was next for the flour, sugar, and confectioners' sugar, and seeing how low they were getting in the confectioners' sugar she paused to jot it onto the grocery list tacked to the front of the fridge.

Measuring out a cup of beer she set the bottle aside. Sam couldn't see Jack drinking the remaining beer this early in the morning, but she could see it ending up in omelettes if he made breakfast.

But she did want the cake to be a bit of a surprise, so she had to do something about the bottle. Jack would pout like crazy when he learned what the cake was and discovered that she'd poured out the remainder...

Back behind the bag of hemp hearts seemed like the best place for it so she hid it again in the fridge.

Swaying a bit to the music she set a saucepan on the stove, poured in the cup of beer to heat and added the butter to melt. When the two ingredients were mixed, she took the saucepan off the element and whisked in the sugar and cocoa. Her next step was the two stages of combining ingredients: first mixing the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract and whisking that with the beer mixture, and second combining the flour and baking soda and again whisking that with the beer mixture.

Picking up a spatula she made sure to get all of the batter into a springform pan and then Sam slid the pan onto the centre oven rack, double checked the temperature was right, and set the timer.

The cake icing was done in a few minutes, confectioners' sugar and cream cheese beaten together until smooth and the bowl put into the fridge to keep until the cake was baked. She was in the process of cleaning up and doing last night's undone dishes when Jack, in boxers and socks and his hair uncombed, came down the stairs.

"Good morning," Sam greeted cheerfully as she swayed to the music of her playlist, hands in the soap and water of the kitchen sink.

"Morning," Jack rumbled as he came up behind her.

His hands settling on her hips stilled their swaying and she tilted her head back and to the side to try and look at him but really gave his lips the perfect opportunity to nuzzle the sensitive spot behind her ear and had a sensual shiver chasing down her spine. Birthday Jack always equaled Amorous Jack and she couldn't complain!

"Happy birthday," Sam said huskily.

"Muhum," Jack murmured in response as his lips nibbled.

Sam sagged back against him with another sensual shiver. "J-Jack..."

_Buzz._

The sound of a cell phone vibrating on the dining table had Jack reluctantly lifting his head. Stepping back, and towards the table, he picked up the device and seeing whose it was, held it out to her.

Fumbling a bit as her heart still galloped, Sam wiped the soap and water off her hands on a towel, and accepted the phone. "It's a text from Cassie."

"And?" Jack prompted.

"She says she's at the airport and will text again before she boards."

"Good," Jack nodded. "Anything else?"

Sam shook her head. "That's it."

"Ah, well, good to know still. Daniel and T still on too?"

"As far as I know, their plans haven't changed since last night's phone call."

"Excellent," Jack said brightly. "So what's for breakfast?"

Sam looked at the kitchen and spying the egg carton she had left on the counter suggested, "Eggs?"

Jack frowned. "Just eggs?"

"Well then, what else would the birthday boy like?" she teased.

"Eggs, bacon, sausage, and fried potatoes," Jack said staunchly.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "All out huh?"

"Yep."

"Okay, okay," Sam gave in graciously. It was his birthday after all and he deserved to treat himself. "All out it is."

Jack grinned at her.

Sam couldn't help but smile in response and turned to preparing the large breakfast.

. . .

Sam stripped off her jogging top in their bedroom as she prepared to shower. The timing of breakfast cooking and being eaten had worked well with the timing of the cake coming out of the oven, with the cake now on a wire rack to cool. Jack had also been given a stern warning not to sample the icing in the fridge or he wouldn't get the spatula to lick after the cake had been iced.

Sitting on the mattress she pulled off her socks and then stood back up and peeled off her pants and underwear and made sure all the clothes got into the laundry basket. In their large ensuite with its walk in shower and jacuzzi tub, she turned on the shower taps and after testing the temperature she stepped beneath the spray of hot water.

With her back to the water, she closed her eyes and just relaxed underneath the beating spray, feeling the water run from her neck and down her back and legs.

The cake was baked, her gift was ready and hopefully still hidden from her husband who was endlessly childlike in his curiosity and glee in gifts, and their friends and Cassie were all on their flights now.

Mentally Sam ran through the day's meals. Lunch was going to be casual with mostly just snacks and such that would be out all afternoon—so that meant most things just had to be dumped from their bags into bowls to be ready. Dinner wasn't going to be too intensive either, just the salmon into the oven and the vegetables on the barbecue because Jack insisted on barbecuing something.

Tilting her head back, the spray kneaded her scalp and ran down her long hair to drip onto the floor.

The sound of the shower door being rolled open had her cracking her eyes to take a peek and she saw Jack. Her husband had a smirk on his lips, a twinkle in his dark eyes and was very er, happy, to see her as he step into the shower stall with her.

Sam gave him a look.

"Just wanted to help." Jack's smirk intensified and after plucking her bottle of shampoo off the hanging shelf, he twirled a finger around in a turn-around motion. "Here, let me do your hair."

Sceptical, she raised an eyebrow at him but turned around to face the showerhead and give him her back. She heard the sound of the shampoo squirting out of the bottle behind her, the sound of it being put back on the hanging shelf and then Jack's strong fingers were on her head, massaging her scalp.

"Mmm," Sam couldn't resist murmuring appreciatively as his fingers worked down her head and through her hair.

"Lean forward," he instructed.

Closing her eyes, she did as instructed and stuck her head underneath the spray of water. Thoroughly Jack's fingers rinsed the shampoo out. After a bit, the fingers started rubbing as they worked on her neck and then across her shoulders. He stepped closer again and his hands curled around the front of her body, rubbing large circles and kneading.

Sam pulled her head back out of the spray of water and teased a bit breathlessly as his palms cupped her breasts. "Just help huh?"

"Of course, I didn't say exactly who I was helping now did I?" his voice a dark rumble as he stepped so close that there was no longer space between them.

Oh yes, Jack was happy indeed, Sam mused to herself as she shivered at the pleasure that skittered over her senses at the rumble of his voice. Deliberately she swayed back on him. Well if Birthday Jack wanted some presents early, she was only too happy to give them.

. . .

Flushed from Jack's loving and a bit from the heat of the shower, Sam selected her clothes for the day. She'd planned on wearing a skirt but Jack always saw those as an open invitation so it was probably best if she stuck with pants considering they had company coming that would stay the night.

Black slacks and a white camisole paired with a turquoise cardigan would fit the casual theme of the party well and the bit of lace on the top of the camisole was nice a touch of allure.

Sam furrowed her brow a bit as she fingered the lace. Considering what they had just finished in the shower a touch of allure could still be dangerous today with Birthday Jack equalling Amorous Jack. With a shrug of her shoulders she made up her mind and dressed in the outfit she'd chosen. To complete the ensemble she slipped the post of her turquoise stone earrings—a birthday gift from her Dad years ago—into her ears and secured the matching pendant necklace around her throat.

She surveyed herself in the mirror and after combing her fingers through her brown bangs again, sweeping the lock of hair to the side, was satisfied with her appearance.

Turning from the mirror Sam quirked a smile at seeing Jack, in a black dress shirt and khaki slacks, frowning at his reflection as he attacked his unruly strands of hair with a comb. It was just the perfect length right now between short enough to stubbornly stick up all over the place and long enough to deal with.

"Here," she stepped over to him and caught his comb and hand in her hand. "Let me."

Jack looked resigned and let her take the comb from him.

Still smiling, Sam set the comb down on the dresser and first turned him towards her, and then combed her fingers through his hair.

"I thought you were going to help," Jack looked bemused.

"Oh, I am," she teased saucily as she ruffled his hair, "trust me." Sweeping his bangs back a bit she gave an approving nod and slid her hands down to rest on the collar of his shirt. Grinning up at him she declared, "Perfect."

"Do I even want to look?"

Sam laughed lightly and patted his shoulders. "Trust me, you look good. Come on, you can help me lay out some lunch stuff before you go to the airport to pick Cassie, Daniel, and Teal'c up."

Turning to go downstairs, she was amused when she caught from the corner of her eye Jack taking a quick look at himself in the mirror and the aborted reach for the comb again before with a resigned look, he followed her downstairs.

Her husband had a bit of a problem accepting the ruffled look was good on him. Just like he couldn't quite see past the age of his hair colour to how hot he was now with his silver hair contrasting so deliciously with his dark eyes.

Downstairs in the kitchen they got the chips, pretzels and such ready in bowls and set them out on the kitchen counter as a snack buffet. Making sure to leave room besides the bowls for the vegetable trays, dip, and salsas that were in the fridge and would come out when everyone got here.

Adjusting the last bowl with tortilla chips Sam stood back and surveyed the kitchen. Tidy, with a few dishes that she'd wash up and put away after the cake had been iced it was otherwise basically ready for the party. So was the living room that they'd done a thorough cleaning of last night.

They'd gone so far as to take down all the frames on the walls, of pictures, certificates, and the more minor medals they'd been awarded—the higher ones were safe in their bedroom where they wouldn't raise questions they didn't want asked—and wiped them off. Other wall decorations like her father's Cadet Saber and the Bronze Age sword Jack had gotten from Daniel as a housewarming gift when he'd first moved to D.C. seven years ago had also gotten a good cleaning.

The small sound of an electric alarm ended her surveying and Sam, even though she knew the sound, reflexively glanced at Jack who was looking down at the watch on his wrist.

"Well," Jack turned the alarm off, "looks like I better get on my way to meet Cassie and the guys at the airport."

Sam nodded. "Take care and drive safe."

He flashed her a cocky grin, "I always do."

She snorted and waved him out of the house. It wasn't his driving that she was worried about for he drove like he flew—fast and in total control—but the other people on the road.

Placing her hands on her hips she surveyed the living room again and smiled to herself.

Now she was free to dig out the Happy Birthday banner that she had hidden in the closet upstairs. She'd spotted it in the dollar store when they'd been picking up balloon decorated paper plates and napkins—for a touch of 'birthday' Jack had said—and had made sure to keep the banner a secret to surprise him.

The banner was childish she knew, but she hoped that it appealed to Jack's childish side. As happy as he was to have Cassie, Daniel, and Teal'c joining them this weekend he wasn't entirely happy with the year-older-thing, especially as it marked the milestone of the big six-oh, so she would do what she could to make him smile a bit more today.

. . .

Jack checked the arriving flights and was pleased to see that both flights were on time. He hadn't expected any delays considering they were in-country flights, coming from the major airports of Las Vegas and Denver, but one never knew.

And extremely convenient for him and his chauffeuring duties, both Cassie and the guys had gotten flights that arrived at Dulles at the same time. Now it just became a question of who to meet first at which gate!

Well, Cassie's arrival gate was the closest so she was it, it looked like. Navigating the busy weekend crowd he made his way to Cassie's gate and being as neither flight was actually at the airport yet, took a seat and passed time with people watching. He'd rather be wife watching, but a man at times had to entertain himself with what was on hand.

Finally the plane landed and the passengers began to disembark. Rising to his feet he scanned the people as they emerged through the gate for Cassie's red head. It took a moment and the young woman's ecstatic cry of "Jack!" as she bore down on him to actually recognise Cassandra when she appeared before him.

"Omph," breath woofed from his lungs as Cassie practically threw herself into his arms and wrapped him in a big and hard hug. Jack looked cross-eyed down at the top of the _black_ head of the young woman who had her head buried against his chest and was currently squeezing him like an anaconda.

"Oh, I missed you," Cassie's voice was muffled by his shirt.

"Yeah," Jack sighed and wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek against the top of her head, "me too Cass."

After a long moment wrapped in the hug, they stepped back from the hug and surveyed each other. Cassie was wearing jeans and a red sweater under her jacket and looking happy and young.

"Happy Birthday," Cassie chirped. "And I must say you're looking—"

"Don't say it," Jack held up a hand and groaned. "I'm looking old, I know."

Cassie scowled as she thumped him on the chest and corrected. "I was going to say good, you're looking good."

Jack arched an eyebrow but returned the compliment as well. "You're looking good yourself." He lifted a hand and picked up a darkly dyed lock of hair from her shoulder. "But what's this?"

"My hair," Cassie deadpanned.

He frowned. "I know that smarty-pants. Why is it _black?_"

"It isn't black," Cassie countered.

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't."

"Yes."

"No."

"Well if it isn't black," Jack said in exasperation, "what is it?"

"Brown."

"This," Jack gave a light tug on the lock, "is not brown. This is black."

"Brown," Cassie insisted, "like Sam."

Jack looked at the stubborn expression on her face and gave up. "Come on squirt," he put an arm around her shoulders and started steering her to the baggage carousel, "let's go get your bags and the guys."

Cassie rolled her eyes at him but didn't fuss otherwise. At the baggage claim she grabbed her suitcase—the embroidered patches of grey aliens on it made it stand out wonderfully on the carousel—and rolled it along behind them as they crossed through the terminal.

Jack figured that as they disembarked all at the same time, the guys would have already gone to get their bags so he started checking the crowds around the carousels. Teal'c, standing like a serene mountain in the middle of the crowd with his signature fedora firmly on his head, was the first one he spotted and a quick check at the carousel he was closest to revealed Daniel dressed like some tenured professor claiming a suitcase.

"T!" Jack called out as he and Cassie made their way to the two. "Daniel!"

"O'Neill," Teal'c greeted with a serene nod of his head, "CassandraFraiser. It is a pleasure to see you."

"Yeah, you too," Jack returned as he gripped Teal'c's forearm in greeting.

"Jack!" Daniel exclaimed as he joined them, smiling broadly. "It's been ages! Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks," Jack responded as he and Daniel gripped each other's shoulders and briefly hugged. It had been a while, in fact, he figured he'd seen more of Teal'c via video conferencing as a Jaffa Nation leader than Daniel who was buried in his research stuff under the mountain.

"Indeed O'Neill," Teal'c turned from greeting Cassie, "felicitations on the anniversary of your nativity."

Jack repeated his thanks as Daniel and Cassie greeted each other and gestured at the long case, sort of like a rifle-case only longer, that Teal'c was holding with another regular bag at his feet. "What's in the case?"

"That will be revealed in time O'Neill," Teal'c answered.

Jack considered the case again but shrugged. It would fit in the vehicle at least. Clapping his hands together he asked, "Okay, everyone got everything?"

"Yes," Cassie and Daniel chorused together.

"I have," Teal'c stated.

"Good, let's get on the road then kids!" Gesturing them towards the exit, he led them to the parking lot and their ride.

. . .

Jack turned off the engine and everyone piled out of the vehicle and up the front steps of his house. Trailing in last with the fresh six-pack of Guinness he'd picked up at the liquor store on the way home, he only heard the tail end of Sam happily greeting their three guests. He paused at the sight in the living room, Sam, Cassie, Daniel, and Teal'c all standing together and behind them hanging from the ceiling was a balloon decorated banner that read 'Happy Birthday!'

He tried to remember the last time he'd seen such a banner at a birthday he'd attended and couldn't—and he didn't think he'd ever had one at any of his. It amused him, and he admitted to himself, that it did touch him that his wife had thought of it.

First everyone was directed to their respective rooms to drop off all their bags and then everyone moved into the kitchen. As the three guests were given their drinks and started making inroads on the snack buffet and chattered away with each other and catching up on everyone's lives, Sam slipped up beside him.

"Well?" she gestured a little towards the banner.

Wrapping the hand that wasn't holding his beer around her waist he brushed a kiss against her temple, sensing that she wasn't quite sure that what she'd done was okay. "It's fine Sam. I don't think I've ever had one actually."

"So Jack," Cassie bounded over with a handful of chips in one hand and some device held up in her other, "what we going to do first?"

Jack pointed at the device. "Don't you think you can live without that for a few hours?"

Cassie grinned as she held the device a bit more in their faces and the distinctive sound of a camera going _click_ was heard.

Oy, thought Jack, it was one of those smarty-phone thingies like Sam had. Personally, he thought even texting was pushing it for phones, but ones you could use as cameras and such just weren't phones anymore in his opinion—they were doohickeys.

"Nope," Cassie lowered the device slightly, "I'm going to get all the pictures I can."

"Don't you have a camera for that?"

"Course I do," Cassie ate a chip, "but it's an oldie and all bulky and stuff so I left it at home. So, as I said, what are we going to do first?"

Jack looked at Sam who looked back at him.

"It is your birthday so you get to decide."

Jack looked around the kitchen, at the people standing before him, and eyed the chocolate cake with its white icing sitting under the glass cover of the cake stand and box of birthday candles waiting beside to be placed and lit. "So... if I want cake I can have it now?"

Sam sighed, "If that's what you want."

"Mm," Jack eyed the cake a bit more. He had worked up an appetite for food again following his and Sam's shower but presents and then cake were an O'Neill tradition, so he'd go with tradition. "Okay then. Presents!"

"Already?" Daniel asked.

"Yep," Jack nodded decisively. "Presents and then cake."

"All right," Sam agreed as she slipped out from under his arm and waved everyone else to the staircase, "let's go get those presents."

Jack smirked and watched Sam's sweetly shaped rear, wonderfully molded by her black slacks, mount the stairs. As they all disappeared upstairs he moseyed into the living room, sat in his favourite spot on the couch, sipped on his beer and waited for everyone to come back downstairs.

Cassie was first with a brightly wrapped package and lots of ribbon, his wife next carrying one of those gift bags, Teal'c followed with that case he'd held onto the entire time in the airport and vehicle, and last was Daniel with two packages.

Cassie plopped herself down on the couch beside him so Sam took one of the chairs as the guys took the other couch. Wiggling in her spot she asked, "So who goes first? Or are we going to spin the bottle or something?"

"Recycle went out so we don't have an empty bottle on hand so... clockwise from me," Jack declared as he set his beer on the coffee table and turned to Cassie who was on his left.

Grinning, Cassie used both hands to offer up her present with its bright birthday themed paper and ribbons overflowing.

Jack returned the grin as he took the flat, square-ish gift and, after reading the card first and propping it up on the coffee table, attacked the ribbons with enthusiasm. Cassie knew just how he liked his presents wrapped: brightly, with ribbons, and lots and lots of tape.

Taking glee in the conquering of ribbon and the ripping of paper Jack looked at the gift in his hands. With a glossy hard cover it was a book, but the black and white face of the baby that he knew to be his own on the front said this wasn't a book, no this, this was something more.

"It's called a photo book, like a scrapbook only it's a printed book you see..." Cassie explained nervously.

Opening the cover he found photographs. Photographs from his childhood—so he knew that Sam had had to have helped with this—through the years of his life. Images of him as a boy on his first bicycle, to working on the cabin with his grandfather, to the first uniform picture of him a wet-eared lieutenant. Scenes him and Sara, to Charlie, to the team and SGC, to Cassie, and beyond with wedding pictures of him and Sam. Some of the pictures he didn't even remember having and others from his time at SGC he didn't even know existed.

When he looked up from turning pages he saw that Cassie was watching him, picking at the seam of her jeans.

"I hope it's okay that..." Cassie made a vague gesture with the hand not worrying her pants, "I used those pictures and all..."

The photo book still on his lap he leaned over and drew Cassie into a hard hug. The work she must have put into was mind-boggling to him. Clearing away the lump in his throat, he reassured her. "It's fine Cass. It's just perfect."

"Thanks," Cassie whispered as she returned the hug fiercely. "Happy Birthday Uncle Jack."

After a moment, he drew back and leaning towards the coffee table he moved his beer further away and he carefully set the photo book onto the glass surface.

Daniel leaned forward and peered at the book through his glasses. "Wow. That's quite something Cassie."

"It is a most memorable gift," Teal'c agreed.

Cassie blushed and grinned a little. "Thanks. But I had lots of help from Sam and Walter and other people getting the photos and stuff. So, who's next? Teal'c?"

Teal'c inclined his head in agreement, rearranged the objects on the coffee table, and standing, picked up the long case he had brought. "Please rise O'Neill."

Eyeing the case again Jack tried to figure out what on Earth—or Chulak—Teal'c had gotten him. "What did you get me?"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow at him. "Rise and see."

"Right," Jack stood up and looked expectant.

"SamanthaCarter, CassandraFrasier, DanielJackson—if you also please rise and bear witness?"

His curiosity was roused further as after the three had stood, Teal'c placed the case on the coffee table with latches facing him and after unlatching them, the case was opened with a very uncharacteristic flourish by Teal'c.

Jack stared at the long object that lay within. His first horrified thought was that it was a staff weapon—and how the heck had Teal'c gotten _that_ off base?—but he quickly realised that it was a _bashaak_, well, still not really a _bashaak_ even. Shaped like the weapons of the Jaffa and of a black wood that gleamed with blue highlights, the shaft was intricately carved with figures that flowed into each other. Lifting his gaze he gave his alien friend a curious look.

"O'Neill of Tau'ri," Teal'c intoned in a voice that weighty with dignity as he took the carved staff into his dark hands, "on behalf of your grateful brothers we present to you the _heri'sa'ur_ in honor of the freedom you have gifted to us on this day that marks the anniversary of your nativity."

Jack kept his eyes connected with his Teal'c as he reached out with both hands to accept the carved staff that the Jaffa was holding with such reverence and feeling in his gut that this was important offered his thanks in Teal'c's native tongue. "_Neter tua_."

He saw the approval, and appreciation, on Teal'c's face at his words as he lifted the carved staff into his own hands. Shifting his grip, he held it more like one would a staff weapon and with one hand now free ran curious fingertips over the satiny wood.

The figures he saw now, and felt, were not just of one form carved different ways but different figures that he could tell wore BDUs, Jaffa armour, and other assorted garments. His fingers running over one of the figures near the head of the weapon, a woman he thought, he peered closer and bit back an exclamation as he recognised the woman—Hathor.

Hastily sliding his fingers away from the carved depiction, Jack looked at Teal'c for an explanation at what exactly he'd been given and caught sight of Daniel. Daniel, who was looking greedily at the carved staff like it was some... Holy Grail or something. And considering how the search for that had gone...

"Teal'c? Should I be worried? Daniel looks like he's going to leap across here any minute—"

"My God," Daniel said fervently, "a _heri'sa'ur_. Do you know how important this is?"

Jack just gave his younger friend a look.

"This is... like, Jack, you've been given a _heri'sa'ur!_"

"Yes, and it's very pretty too," Jack hefted the weight of the staff in his hand.

"Very pretty," Cassie agreed as she crowded closer to him.

Sam murmured her agreement.

"Pretty?" Daniel looked as scandalised as he sounded. "Pretty? It's a priceless—"

"Yeah, I get that too," Jack interrupted. "But would you please tell me what it _is?_"

"A rough translation of _heri'sa'ur_ is 'master of great knowledge' but a _heri'sa'ur_ like you're holding—been given—is an emblem of enormous prestige and sanctity."

Jack lifted an eyebrow. "Sanctity? You know how I feel about all that god stuff."

"A _heri'sa'ur_ O'Neill," Teal'c folded his hands behind himself, "is presented to a warrior who has done great deeds and those deeds are narrative by the carvings along the shaft."

"Thank you," Jack said politely. It looked like to him though, it would be best to let Daniel corner him later and listen to the man's lecture. He had a feeling that while honest, Teal'c's answer wasn't the whole truth from Daniel's gobsmacked reaction.

"Is it alright if I put this back in the case Teal'c? Or would that be a big no-no?"

"It would be acceptable O'Neill."

Jack laid the carved staff back in the case and clicked the locks shut, hoping that now that it was out of sight Daniel would stop drooling for a bit. Reaching out, he gripped Teal'c's forearm firmly and held the weight of his friend's gaze.

After a moment he let go, clapped his hands together and sat down again, "So, what's my next present?"

"Ah, well," Daniel fumbled a bit as he too sat down, almost on the gifts he'd brought, his mind still clearly on the carved staff and not the birthday, "mine I guess. If we're going clockwise."

Jack held his hands out in demand.

Daniel picked up the two wrapped packages he'd brought and passed them over. "Happy Birthday."

Opening the card, Jack found it a typical Daniel-type card and after setting it aside ripped off the wrapping of the topmost present and looked at the backend of a book. "A book? Isn't that a you present?"

Daniel looked amused and not offended. "Turn it over."

Jack did so and gave an approving grunt at the title: _The Oxford Companion to Beer_. Tearing the wrapping paper off the second one, he found another book that matched the first in theme titled, _Brooklyn Brew Shop's Beer Making Book: 52 Seasonal Recipes for Small Batches_. "Hah, thanks, these are great Daniel. I can't wait to brew some of these."

He held up the two books to show them to everyone else and was surprised when he heard a snorted chuckle from Sam sitting in her chair. He gave his wife a curious look. That wasn't a reaction he expected from her, especially not to one of Daniel's gifts.

"I'll explain when we have cake," Sam said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Which will be right after your gift wife," Jack retorted.

Sam nodded and rising from the chair, handed over the gift bag with coloured tissue poking out the top. "Open the gift before the card please."

Jack was puzzled but did as asked, poking his hand into the bag and felt—cloth? He pulled it out and after stretching it out in his hands, looked at the black scrap of bathing suit. And not just any part, but a thong. Jeez, this certainly wasn't something he ever expected to get from Sam. Ignoring Cassie's muffled giggles and the amused looks the guys were giving him he looked at his wife and deadpanned. "I don't think it fits honey."

Cassie burst into gales of laughter and Daniel was certainly chuckling along side. Even Teal'c looked like he too would join the hilarity—scary thought that.

"There's more Jack," Sam laughed softly as her cheeks were dusted by colour.

Obediently Jack put his hand back into the bag and pulled out a matching black bikini top.

"Now the card," Sam instructed, still rosy-cheeked.

Stuffing the black bikini into the bag he opened the 'Still Sexy at 60' card and his eyes immediately fixed on the pieces of paper tape inside the flap: two tickets to Hawaii and a hotel confirmation in Maui.

"Sweet!" Jack grinned broadly as he bounded off the couch and to his seated wife who he bent over and kissed enthusiastically. When they broke the kiss he rested his forehead against hers and roguishly grinned down at her, "So big beaches and little bikinis?"

Blushing a bit more Sam's forehead bumped his lightly when she nodded.

His expression shifted from roguish to sincere as he continued to look down at her. "Thank you Sam."

"You're welcome."

Straightening he looked at his three guests and grinned broadly at them. "Sam's taking me to Maui—this calls for cake!"

The three laughed some more and threw in some teasing comments but they all shifted into the kitchen and the women stuck candles in the cake in the outline of 6 and 0, way better than sixty candles in his mind, to blow out.

"Looks great Sam," Jack complimented the homemade dessert as she set it on its glass dish before him with candles lit.

"Thanks, I just hope it tastes great too," Sam confided. "You know me and cooking."

Jack chuckled and agreed, his genius wife did have some difficulty in the kitchen.

Under Cassie's direction he, Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c crowded along one end of the dining table behind the cake as Cassie stood with smart-phone ready to snap pictures of him blowing out the candles. After enduring their rendition of the Happy Birthday song, Jack did his duty and blew out all the candles to Cassie's cheering and Daniel's taunting.

The cake was cut and Jack accepted the first and largest piece of dark chocolate cake with its thick icing and took a bite of the moist dessert. Mum, he'd know this delicious flavour anywhere. "Sam? What kind of cake is this?"

"Your kind of cake—Chocolate Guinness Cake."

"Sweet," Jack grinned and took another big bite. Chewing with deep appreciation he looked around his kitchen and the people seated at the table eating cake with him. He figured even though he was another year older, if this coming year brought cake, beer, and family it was going to be a very, very good year.

-FINISHED


End file.
